System and method for developing a selectably-expandable concept-based search
US6453312B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 14, 1998 |
| Grant date | Sep 17, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 14, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S707/99935
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A computer-implemented system and method for allowing users to interactively develop search queries is provided. The system performs query development utilizing a hierarchical concept tree stored in memory, wherein the nodes of the concept tree are concepts that describe various search topics. Parent/child relationships are created between the concepts, with children concepts describing sub-categories of a parent concept, and so on. Any concept at any level in the tree structure may be related to one or more character strings descriptive of the related concept. Query development is performed by traversing the various relationships in the hierarchical tree structure to selectively add related character strings to a potential query. According to one embodiment, the user is allowed to control the manner and extent of the traversal, and is further allowed to de-select any located concepts and character strings for further use in query development. According to another embodiment, traversal of the tree is completed according to user specification, with only limited user intervention required to select or de-select the various located character strings for inclusion in a query string. Ye…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.